Blast-furnace operation.



Patented May 21,1918.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

4 ATTORNEY EDWIN K, or wnsrmom noaouen, rmmsnv r.

sneer-mace orrron.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I Enwm E. Smox, a citizen of the United tates, residing in the borough of Westmont, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvama, (whose ost-ofiice is J ohnstown, Pennsylvania,) have invented certa'n new and useful Improvements in Blast-Furnace Operation; and I do hereb declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention,

such as will enable ot ers skilled in the art.

to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in blast furnace o ration, with special refer ence to a met 0d of charging the stock, whereby certain cleavage lines and arrangements of minor concentrations are produce in the charge whereby all, or the ma or portion of the cross section of the material in the blast furnace stack is more :umformly subjected to the reducing action of the gases and fuels. Under certain prior conditions of the arrangement of bells and hoppers of blast furnaces, the stock is distributed in layers, that is, with a large part of the fines inone place and-a large part of the coarse material in other places, in such a way that the gases passing therethrough follow the lines of least resistance and a so-called chimney is formed through the charge, with the result that a blast furnace does not produee an output corresponding to its s1ze or de%red capacity. culti es are obviated and I obtain a distribution of the stock such that the largest possible proportion of the cross section of the blast furnace is operative in all parts, without the tendency to the formation of de osits on the walls, or a local chimney throng the charge, and my arran ement also prevents ha g, slips and sea olds.

y arrangement is also such that hues of cleav are formed in the various layers of stoc so that when the layers below settle, due to the operation of the furnace, the charge above them gradually breaks on its cleavage lines, allowing the whole mass to settle uniformly and thereby preserve the desired arrangement.

vIn carrying out my invention I prteferablydischarge the stock mto the top 0 he blast furnace in such a way that it is deposited in a plurality of mounds of slight elevation, a in various suitable ways,

Specification of Letters retent- Application filed April 16, 1915. Serial No. 31,860.

means of my invention these difli- Patented ay 21, 1918.

care, however, not to provide unbroken or concentric rings of coarser particles. The

material being deposited in a-plurality of small or minor valleys between the mounds.

This causes the stockto be distributed throughout the cross section of the furnace with reasonable uniformity but at the same time a plurality of cleavage lines are formed, due to the coarser particles of material. The result of this is such that when the lower layers of the stock settle, due to the operation of the furnace, the smelting of the ores, the burning of the-coke and the fusing of the flux, the portion of the charge above them gradually breaks on its plurality of cleavage lines allowing the whole mass to settle uniformly and thereby preserve the desired arrangement, whereby the entire sect on of the furnace is operative in all its parts without an tendency to the formation of irregularly ocated local chimneys, and the arrangement also prevents the serious troubles due to the hanging of the charge and the slippin of large quantities of same into the white ot cavities formed, with disturbing and destructive effects which is the result when other methods are use The result ofthe actual operation of my method has shown that the stock was distributed in three directions, part going outwardly toward the 'walls of the furnace, another part going almost vertically downward from the skirt of my distributer and another part going inwardly, the whole forming a plurality of mounds, the finer materia s bem generally atthe tops of the mounds and t e coarser materials at the bases thereof, or in the minor valleys between the mounds, and some in the center of the furnace.

The char 'ng of materials into a blast furnace in t e manners previously used results-in the formation of one or more approximately concentric rin of material with the larger particles 0 coke, ore and flux forming a cylindrical column in the center of the furnace or thereabout, with the result that when smelting a charge so arranged, a local chimney or stack is formed up through this coarser material which smelts more rapidly than the other more compact portions surrounding the ame and.

' part of this as t er'forming part of the the approximately cylindrical column of stoc settles down and produces a large cavity in the charge. On account of the circular and strong arched form of the matenals surrounding this opening, these outer-ma terials do not settle until a large approxi'-' 'mately cylindrical cavity has formed, after which they finally break and fall in large masses into the cavity with destructive and disturbing effects. These are known as slips, which are produced by the scaffold or hanging portionsof the cyhndrical walls falling into the cavit All this is obviated by my method of b ast furnace operation which divides the charge into a plurality of columns separated by the cleavage lines as previously described, whereby the stock settles' uniformlyand quietly at all times in all parts of the furnace. Having thus given a general description of my invention, I will now, in order to make the matter more clear, refer to the accompanying sheet of drawings which form specification and in which like characters refer to like parts.

F'gure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional elevation of the top portion 'of a blast furnace showing the application of my inven- $1011, this being taken on the lines II of A Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 2 is a top lan view of the surface of the materials a er they are charged into the furnace,"showing the conformation or the manner in which they are distributed.

Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof the distribuapparatus used in my method.

Referring now to the characters of reference:

1 indicates the top of the furnace generally, 2 the upper or receiving hopper, and 3 the lower or charging hop er. 4 represents a small. distributing bel and 5 is'the large charging bell. A small bell seat is indicated as 6; 7 indicates a seal for the large charging bell,while 8 ind1cates my distributer in general. 9 are the fingers of my distributer, 10 the openings in, or spaces between the same, and 11 indicates the top flange of the distributer. A flanged shelf upon which the hopper 3 rests is mdicated as 12. '13' indicates inner flan for securing together the sections of the tributer; 14 are bolt holes'in the flanges 13, while 15 indicates bolts for attaching together the sections of my-distributer. 16 is a vertical central rib on each section of the distributer, necting the top flan 17 are the integral brackets conge 11 and the sides of the distributer; 18 indicates holes through the top flange 11, while 19 indicates rods for securing the distributer to the top of the furnace, Small mounds of material are indicated as '20, the central portion of these mounds being formed of the finer materials columns are has obtained a char and the outer portions in the valleys 21 between the mounds being composed of coarser materials, which latter form predetermined cleavage lines throughout the stock, which lines extend downwardly through the body of the same, thereby separating the: charge into a plurality of small columns, which preferably not ring shape or circular. a I

The central low portionof thecharge is indicated as 22. which also is composed of coarser materials, and 23 are the intermediate high" points of the mounds between the low parts or valleys 2i and the central low portion 22.

In'the charging of blast furnaces, successive quantities of coke,.ore and limestone are fed therein thI0Vl1V%h the distributing and 1 charging bells. en the receiving hopper the charging bell is lowered, whereupon the material slides down on the surface of said bell and portions impinge a distributer. This deflects those portions of the charge toward the center of the furnace, while those portions which pass between, the fingers continue in their travel outwardly toward the walls of the furnace. cross section of an actual arrangement of materials which have been charged by my gainst the fingers 9 of my method is as shown in 1, and an actual plan view of the samei It will be noted from are certain locations material are of greater coarseness than at others, and this, together with the dome like form of the deposits, formscleavage or strated in Fi 2. Fig. 2 that t ere where the layers of breaking lines which will allow *the Stock to settle quietly and regularly as the portions below it move downwardly.

The dotted lines in Fig. 1 represent the lower positions of the ells. The lower chargin bell ma be so adiusted as to be moved. ownwar y, more or ess, than as indicated by dotted lines, in order to adjust the distribution of the material.

Although I have shown and described my improvements in considerable detail, I do not wish to be'limited to the exact and specific details shown and described, but may use such substitutions, modifications or equivalents thereof as are embraced within the scope of my invention, or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method of operating blast furnaces which consists in chargin the -materials into the top portion thereo causing a portion of the material to be-dischargedin a plurality of streams toward the side walls of the furnace and other portions to be discharged in a plurality of streams toward the center of the furnace, thereby forming a plurality of columns separated by the coarser nace which consists in charging the stock materials, whereby the stock settles and into the upper part thereof, causing a plusmelts uniformly. rality of portions of the same to he 's 2. The method of operating a blast furcharged toward the side walls of the hi- 5 nace, which consists in charging the stock nace, another plurality of portions of the into the upper portion thereof, causing a same to be discharged toward the center of portion of the same to be discharged tothe furnace and other portions to be disward the outside walls of the furnace, other charged more directl downward, thereby portions of the same to be dischar ed toforming a plurality 0 columns in the stock,

10 ward the center of the furnace, t ereby separated by irregular and predetermined forming a plurality of mounds on the uplines of cleavage, whereby the gases pass per surface of the stock, the centers of said upwardly through all portions of the charge mounds being composed of finer materials and the charge smelts and settles uniform y and the valleys between them of coarser main all portions of the furnace.

15 terials, thereby providing a plurali of In testimony whereof I hereto aifix my columns extending downwardly throng the signature in the presence of two witnesses. charge, separated by numerous channels and EDWIN lines of cleava e, whereby the stock settles Witnesses: and smelts uni ormly. A. DIX Trrrm,

20 3. The method of operating a. blast fur- Emma E. WERBY. 

